Whilst eating, the crocodile swallows too much air which impacts with the lachrymal gland and forces tears to flow.Ĩ. And while technically crocodiles have glands that can produce tears, it’s not actually considered crying. Ever heard the term ‘crocodile tears’? There’s an age-old myth that crocodiles cry when devouring their prey. If the temperature is less than 32 degrees Celsius, the baby crocodiles will be female and if it’s above that temperature, they will be male.ħ. When a female crocodile lays eggs (of which there can be up to 60 at a time), the temperature of the nest where the eggs are laid actually determines the sex of the baby. Perhaps one of the most fascinating facts about the crocodile species is in regard to their breeding. For example, did you know that the saltwater crocodile has a bite nearly three times the forces of a lion or tiger? Impressive, right?Ħ. Although the muscles in their jaw are quite weak and incredibly sensitive to touch, they have one of the strongest bites in the animal kingdom. The crocodile jaw is a thing of supreme power and force. Of course, we’re talking a long time ago – approximately 100 million years ago – during the Mesozoic Era.ĥ. Although they have since been replaced by humans, crocodiles were once at the top of the food chain. They cannot generate heat on their own, therefore they go into a period of long sleep (or aestivation, a similar state to hibernation) until the weather heats up again.Ĥ. Like most reptiles, crocodiles are cold-blooded animals and prefer to take up residence in tropical areas close to wetlands. Some of these may include lakes, rivers, freshwater bodies, salt water and brackish water (a combination of salt and freshwater).ģ. Crocodiles are quite a versatile reptile which means they can live in a variety of environments. Other species can be found in the tropics throughout Africa, Asia and the Americas.Ģ. Despite their names, both of these species can live in fresh or salt water. Did you know that there are 23 different species of crocodile that live on this planet? However, Australia is home to just two species – the freshwater crocodile (which is found nowhere else in the world) and also the estuarine crocodile. They’re the large aquatic reptiles made famous by revered Australian legends like Crocodile Dundee, Paul Hogan, and the legendary Steve Irwin, but here are 10 interesting facts you may not know about the carnivorous creature that is the crocodile.ġ.
Therefore, it’s safe to say, their history on earth is a long and mysterious one! They survived the mass extinction and thrived for hundreds of millions of years to come.
In fact, crocodiles are one of the only animals that are thought to have survived the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaur population. It was a time when dinosaurs roamed freely and crocodiles coexisted alongside them. Around 240 million years ago, during the Cretaceous period, the earth looked pretty different.